Tarangire National Park is our destination today. The upper park has the wide open fields of tall golden grass reminiscent of our amber waves of grain back home. Tall grasses for hiding any approach…The Acacia thorn trees spring up but are dwarfed by my favorite of all, the Bao Bao trees. Ancient, enormous trunked wonders.
It reminds me of the Laihaina home tree, the Banyan. The Bao bao trees stand as sentinels along and within the elephant valley.
The six foot high termite Mound hotel welcomes it’s mongoose tenants who are lounging in the sun, ever vigilant. They receive free board to chase the aardvarks away when they come to call for a lunch of… termites.
There are elephants and zebras almost close enough to touch. Their babies stay close to their mamas’ sides and the sweetness and light radiates between us. The smallest of all antelopes, the dik-dik, darts out of the tall grasses, allowing only a glimpse, when two giraffes with their elegant strides glide past together. I imagine if they had hands to hold, they would.
As I bask in the abundant blessings of this trip, the soft, still voice of God whispers on the wind and He calls to me:
“Climb to the top of a Bao Bao tree, legs dangling, soft breezes blowing, and search from there to the horizon, listening.”
“What shall I listen for?” I ask.
And He replies, “ You will know when you hear it. Just be still.”
So up I go to the top of the Bao Bao tree. The trunk is rough as if the vines of the Banyan tree fused together to create a Bao Bao. It makes climbing possible with its grooves but still a challenge. I am reminded that God does not call the equipped, He equips the called so I am not deterred by the difficulty. One foot, one hand repeat.
The breeze is cooling and the cloud cover is welcomed as I ascend.
At the first sturdy branch, I stop, breathing hard. I close my eyes and rest my back against the trunk, legs dangling on each side of the branch.
Recovering, my breathing slows and I open my eyes. I have been so focused on the climb, I did not see. I gasp at the glory of God stretching out before me in every direction.
The lush greeness is a marked contrast to the thorny dryness of Ketumbeine. There is a shallow river wandering through in the distance with marshy grasses on this side. The trees close in on the far shore and it is all kind of green as far as the eyes can see with hints of wildlife just out of sight.
The birdsong is constant, intermittent, far away, close at hand; The crescendoing trilling, melodic fluting, intense buzzing like a swarm of frenzied bees. It surrounds and penetrates me. It is a palpable symphony of sound.
The cool fresh air carries whispers of a light floral scent. I close my eyes and breath it all in and the words of Psalms 24 tumble out:
“The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein…
Let my head be lifted up.
May my ancient doors be opened so that You,
my King of glory,
may come in.”
“That’s it!” I exclaim, as I let my head be lifted up.
“Well, done my child,” God says, smiling.
“When you allow your love of this creation, here in this beautiful place, to open you to the wonders to which I call you, then you allow Me, your King of glory, to come in. When I come in I am able to revive and renew your ancient closed places. When you open your wounded places to your King of glory, creation becomes a doorway through which healing and beauty can flow.”
“This is the message of the Bao Bao tree.”
TanzaniAnne
March 10, 2025
Romans 1:20
For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies
Lord of All, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.
F.S.Pierpoint
Tripping with God: Stories of Faith and Inspiration 